Stuck In Development

Could it be? The first week with two SID episodes!? (Let’s all just agree that this was the plan all along.) In another fast-paced news roundup episode, the boys start by chatting about the latest IP property on the selling block. Then, after Carl shares with Eitan the magic that is The Demo of all Demos (seriously, look it up on YouTube), they move quickly through a seemingly disconnected set of...

The spicy takes must flow! It was a calmer week in both the world of media and the lives of Carl and Eitan. A random smattering of IATSE and tech topics lead the episode, and the boys check in on the surprising crossover success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune . For once, Eitan beat Carl to the theater! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @stuckindevpod

What a week. In the first-ever morning-recorded episode, Carl and Eitan check in on the different PR disasters plaguing Hollywood this week. From Netflix's botched response to the Dave Chappelle backlash, to Disney’s lack of marketing for The Last Duel, this was a rough week for the crisis management departments. But hey, at least looks like IATSE will not go on strike (even though the deal does n...

In this week's (relatively) short episode, Carl and Eitan close the royale door on Daniel Craig’s time as the world’s most famous spy. After Eitan finds solace in being back home after a couple of weeks of travel before diving, the boys break down the franchise's latest installment and share their top-5 lists on many things Bond before spending a quantum second looking at the latest IATSE strike n...

Is Stuck in Development a podcast about exploring different socioeconomic theories? This week it kind of is! They use Steve Jobs’ death 10-year anniversary as a springboard to chatting about ‘greatness’ and the different ways to measure ‘worth’ before diving head-first into an exploration of IATSE’s authorization of a potential strike and the impact it could have in Hollywood. Come for the reminis...

Join Eitan and Carl for a fireside chat live from Oaxaca and San Francisco! In a new episode format that definitely didn’t come about from a lack of preparedness, the two speedround through a series of pet SID topics: Disney’s Star rollout in Mexico! The Tonys! Nightmare musicals! Netflix viewership stats! ...and more! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @stuckindevpod

Carl and Eitan have never felt so unprepared to discuss an awards show. Somehow, an entire year has elapsed since Schitt’s Creek, Watchmen and Succession took home the lion’s share of statues at the 2020 Emmys, and the boys haven’t watched as much TV in the year since then. Instead of diving deep on the big winners and losers, the two discuss the very soul of the Emmy Awards itself. In news this w...

Carl and Eitan are back in full swing after a quick break.  After Eitan catches Carl by surprise with some quick theme park news, they spend the episode going through everything that happened in the last couple of weeks: from Disney's decision to release the rest of their 2021 movie slate in theaters only, reviewing the temporary conclusion of the Epic v Apple case (including a philosophical...

In the strange sideshow world of theatrical distribution, CinemaCon is the biggest week of the year. Among the endless reports from studio presentations at this year’s conference, JPMorgan analyst Alexia Quadrani made an interesting observation: “Netflix desires its movies to have a bigger cultural impact.” Regular listeners of Stuck In Development will not be surprised that Carl and Eitan felt ab...

In the middle of a crazy week for both of them, Carl and Eitan carved out a half hour to check in with each other on Disney’s latest dastardly plans. They quickly recap updates on the ScarJo vs. Disney saga before getting into A LOT of detail around the topic that’s been dominating Theme Park Twitter for the last week: Disney’s new Genie service. The boys track the evolution of this service from t...

Carl and Eitan devote this week’s episode to three of their pet topics: Hollywood talent compensation, Apple’s privacy claims and… South Park, apparently. The two use Emma Stone’s Cruella sequel deal to dive into the previously under-discussed role of talent agencies in the streaming future. There’s a surprisingly straight line between this deal and Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s near-billion-dollar...

It’s here! After building it up for a long three weeks, the boys are joined by Nick Sparks to FINALLY do a live commentary of the anti-drug PSA Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue. (Note: the characters are more like the Cartoon Reserve Forces) Before the main event, they spend some time checking the latest box office numbers with The Suicide Squad, leading Eitan to boast about his prediction that War...

It’s an all-Disney news week as Carl and Eitan react to Scarlett Johansson’s bombshell Black Widow lawsuit. The two discuss what this lawsuit means for the future of Hollywood talent compensation, and they contextualize this suit within broader trends in antitrust, labor and talent management. They also spend far too long dissecting the pricing structures of both Disneyland’s new Magic Key program...

This week’s episode is full of aggressive metaphors by Carl and mispronunciation of people’s names by Eitan – so, a regular week for Stuck in Development. The boys start by analyzing yet another precipitous fall in the box-office (this time by Space Jam), try to figure the rationale behind Universal’s $400M deal for The Exorcist, and break down NBC’s baffling Olympic distribution strategy. Fi...

This week is a (space) jam-packed news episode. Carl and Eitan start by discussing the reportedly loathsome Space Jam: A New Legacy and the Carl-approved Pig . They also scoff at various industry reports blaming Disney Premier Access for Black Widow ’s box office downturn. After news of Netflix’s impending foray into video games leave them nonplussed, they end the episode by reacting to an excelle...

Once again, the future of entertainment seems to be riding on Disney (*sigh*). Black Widow marks the first time a major studio has simultaneously released digital and theatrical numbers, and Eitan and Carl spend most of this episode parsing how successful the film actually was. These numbers also give them a chance to check in on the state of the MCU. In brief news this week, the two follow up on...

Every media company is a different beast. Any given company can have a streaming service, an ISP, theme parks, hardware sales or free 2-day shipping to buoy their revenues. Despite this diverse set of revenues, one common measure used to compare the success of SVOD services is ARPU (average revenue per user). This week, Eitan leads Carl in a discussion of why ARPU is largely meaningless. They also...

For data nerds like Eitan and Carl, Hollywood used to be a candy store. Decades of stats around productions, contracts and box office receipts were readily available, allowing them to slice and dice the successes and failures of decades past. This data still exists publicly – allowing the two to talk about the returns of In the Heights, F9 and Luca in the news – but it’s rapidly becoming hard...

Carl and Eitan are back after a pesky honeymoon got in the way of recording last week’s episode. They catch up on Carl’s wedding, debate the merit of some gossip around Jason Kilar’s future at WarnerMedia , unpack In the Heights ’ mediocre box office performance, and revel in the last gasps of the Great MoviePass Grift. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @stuckindevpod

The boys couldn’t fight the urge to record, even during Carl’s wedding week. During this fast and furious episode (no pun intended given that Carl hasn’t seen the movies), Eitan and Carl check in on Cruella and The Quiet Place II box office drop-off after a strong first weekend, talk ViacomCBS following a long-standing tradition of creative Hollywood accounting, gasp at AMC’s latest Reddit-driven...

The long-rumored MGM acquisition is finally happening, so Eitan and Carl can finally tear into the strategy and analyze what it means for Amazon’s Prime Video, IMDb TV, and Studios teams. The two dig into the corporate strategies and philosophies of Amazon, the eroding value of Prime membership, and a ridiculously high $8.45B price tag that doesn’t even yield majority ownership of the Bond franchi...

Carl and Eitan are unstuck in time. They decided to do a 2021 Movies Preview… in late May. A late Oscars ceremony coupled with a pandemic can really mess with your perception of time! This week, the two share their personal lists of the top 5 films they are most excited to see in the back half of this year. In a busy news week, they chat about the then-rumored Amazon acquisition of MGM; share some...

Every once in a while, a story comes along that stops you in your tracks. For Eitan and Carl, this weekend was absolutely consumed by the announcement that AT&T would spin out WarnerMedia into a new venture with Discovery. This is Stuck In Development ’s Big Game and its raison d'être. Join the two as they take an exhaustive look at the merger and its implications on the future of AT&T and...

Step into the Stuck In Development multiverse! This week, Carl and Eitan spent equal time dissecting a framework for modern entertainment companies and discussing the tumultuous future of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the Golden Globes’ awarding body). For the former subject, they return to last week’s AUA to discuss the love that modern studios try to manufacture for their content; for...

Eitan and reforming Apple fanboy Carl dive into a few topics this week. They use the Epic v. Apple opening arguments as a springboard for broader discussions about software distribution antitrust and data protection policy. The two also chat about HBO Max’s pricing strategy and offer effusive praise for Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (and a Netflix “Original”). There is no main topic this week....